Library Tweets
Our librarian held her first online storytelling session for Class Angel. ‘A Busy Day for Birds’ by #LucyCousins & ‘Happy in Our Skin’ by @FranManushkin – Full attention & enjoyment by students and staff. Well done Caroline! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/L34AaycNnc
— @charltonsch (@CharltonSch) September 25, 2020
Members of The Flamsteed Astronomy Society came to do a workshop with some of our students last year, donating a bundle of brilliant astronomy books, & have just sent us a further gift of a globe and another beautiful book about the universe! #ThankYou #Space #Globe #TheUniverse pic.twitter.com/buh4SgEoLr
— @charltonsch (@CharltonSch) September 25, 2020
Even though our library has a ‘No Entry’ sign on the door, our librarian still gets her regular niche requests for books! The books for Class St.James Park have been delivered – so let’s wait and see what other class requests come this week 😄📚 #ReadingIsMagicFest pic.twitter.com/SAuvfvuDZh
— @charltonsch (@CharltonSch) September 28, 2020
At the moment there is no entry to the library – but our librarian’s carefully curated collection of books will be delivered via a box to our classrooms. #PictureBooks #SensoryBooks #Fiction #NonFiction #BooksToReadTogether #BooksToLoan #Autumn2020 pic.twitter.com/eoni6eOhkI
— @charltonsch (@CharltonSch) September 7, 2020
Storytimes Online
Monday | 1.10pm – Class Holborn
Wednesday | 11am – Class Piccadilly
Friday | 12.30pm – Class Angel
At the moment, if anyone would like an Online Team storytime (or an individual chat for recommendations) Caroline is available Monday and Friday mornings, from 10am and Wednesday afternoons.
Library News
November 2020
Tom Palmer has written a number of historical novels about both World Wars, he has done a series of YouTube (left) recordings of him reading one of them, D-Day Dog.
Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful is one of my favourite War novels, set in WW1 (you will cry buckets and rage at the injustices), the BBC has an abridged audio adaptation here: www.bbc.co.uk
The National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust have launched the Virtual School Library wordsforlife.org.uk/virtual-school-library with a different guest author or illustrator every week, a chance to read one of their books for free (sometimes an audio version) and download related activities.
Native American History Month (USA)
November is Native American Heritage Month, or as it is commonly referred to, American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.
Text © www.ncai.org
The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.
National museum of the American Indian: americanindian.si.edu/online-resources/exhibition-websites
Books of the Month
Noor-Un-Nissa Inayat Khan by Sofia Ahmed, from the Scholastic My Voices series. A thrilling fictionalised biography of British-Indian World War Two heroine, Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan
It’s 1940 and hundreds of families are being forced to flee Nazi-occupied France. Noor refuses to stand by while Nazi forces invade her home and terrorise her people, so she travels to England and signs up to join the war efforts, despite her mother’s wishes. It isn’t long before her talents are noticed and she is chosen by Winston Churchill to sneak back into France as an undercover agent. Noor returns home – but this time, as a secret agent… Can Noor keep her true identity hidden, report her findings back to London and help the Allies win the war?
Book of the Month
Binny’s Diwali, written by Thirty Umrigar and illustrated by Nidhi Chanani:
Binny is excited to talk to her class about her favorite holiday. She tells them about the fireworks, the delicious pedras and jalebis, and the clay lamps called diyas … there are so many wonders to see!
Storytelling and Resources
Caroline our librarian recommends some fantastic website for families to enjoy while their children are home learning or at school.
Reading Black Lives Matter
- Zoe Tillotson, our English Advisory Teacher has compiled a reading list with titles that can be found in our library. Please remember to contact Caroline for any books as the library is no entry at the moment.
Over the last few months there has been significant media coverage of the Black Lives Matter campaign. This is a good time then, for those of us in education to reflect on our practice and ask ourselves how we can promote genuine inclusion, equality and be pro-actively anti-racist. One area that always demands scrutiny is the curriculum. What is absent and excluded sends a strong message. To that end, the English team at CPA have been creating a new English Curriculum and making sure it includes positive and diverse representations of young Black people by contemporary writers. Some of the books we have chosen to include are listed below. I hope you’ll be as excited as we are by the choices we’ve made.
Download reading list here: Black Lives Matter
Recommended Websites
Oxford Owl eBook library (phonics books) home.oxfordowl.co.uk/books/free-ebooks
The World Book Day website has lots of readings of books for a range of ages and interests www.worldbookday.com
BookTrust Hometime has new stuff added regularly www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/have-some-fun/open-the-hometime-cupboard
Phonics games:
Creative writing:
Authorfy masterclasses: authorfy.com/masterclasses
- Top Ten Storytimes 7-11 year olds.pdf
- Top Ten Storytimes to Enjoy.pdf
- Caroline’s Blog: teenlibrarian.co.uk
- Caroline reading Grobblechops!: www.youtube.com
- Caroline reading of A Bottle of Happiness by Pippa Goodhart and illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi: youtu.be
- National Shelf Service: www.youtube.com/channel
PODCASTS: This is a great selection of podcasts, aimed at Pathways 1 and 2 students, focusing on COVID-19 but they have different themed sets: slj.com
STORYTELLING
Tiny Owls: An independent, global publisher of beautiful multicultural picture books for EVERYONE! New videos every Friday. Tiny Owl stories: www.youtube.com/channel
Michael Rosen: Visit Michael Rosen’s websites for storytelling videos.
‘Here you will be able to read about me, my books and what I’m doing.’ – Michael Rosen
www.michaelrosen.co.uk/videos
Text © Lantana Publishing
Tomorrow: In this storytime video, Nadine Kaadan reads her book Tomorrow (2018), a moving and uplifting story about a little boy named Yazan wishing he could go outside and play. Nadine wrote this story to express what she saw happening around her in Damascus. But now we feel that children from all over the world may be feeling the same way as Yazan, forced to stay home during lockdown and longing to see their friends and even go back to school.
Link: Tomorrow | Youtube
Text © Oliver Jeffers
For all you folks stuck at home in the coming weeks due to COVID, I will be reading one of my books every weekday, and talking about some of the things that went into making it. We are all at home, but none of us are alone. Let’s be bored together. Watch LIVE on Oliver’s instagram (@oliverjeffers) at 7 PM GMT/ 2 PM EST. Link: www.oliverjeffers.com/abookaday
One Chapter a Day: Author and illustrator Tom Percival reading Attack of the Heebie Jeebies, one chapter a day. Link: www.youtube.com
Nosy Crow: While so many of us around the world are currently at home and staying inside with young children, we want to help – so we’ve put together lots of activities, resources, free Nosy Crow books and other content which we hope will help keep your families happy.
Resources to download link: nosycrow.com/free-resources
DRAW ALONGS
Sarah McIntyre: Silly sharks galore! Learn how to draw your own shark with the writer and illustrator of There’s a Shark in the Bath, and sing along with the shark song! Find more book-related activities at jabberworks.co.uk/theres-a-shark-in-the-bath. Link: www.youtube.com/channel
Rob Biddulph: Rob is an internationally bestselling and multi award-winning children’s author and illustrator. He is also the official World Book Day Illustrator for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Link: www.youtube.com/channel
Book Trust: Lots of lovely interactive books to read online or watch with signing
Link: www.booktrust.org.uk
Oxford owls: Loads of activities on Oxford Owls (including phonics books)
Link: home.oxfordowl.co.uk/school-closure-resources